William J. Ryan, Jr. (September 20, 1923 – June 7, 2002) was a psychologist, civil rights activist and author. He is best known for his criticism of "blaming the victim", which was first published in his 1971 book of the same name. Ryan's work is considered a major structuralist rebuttal to the Moynihan Report. Moynihan's report placed most of the blame for African-American poverty rates on the rise of single-parent households, which Ryan vigorously rejected as blaming victims for their victimhood.
Early life
Ryan was born in Everett, Massachusetts on September 20 1923, the son of William J. Ryan and Marion C. Ryan (Evans). He was subsequently raised in Everett. After joining the Army Air Corps during WWII, he received a PhD from Boston University in 1958. In 1951 Ryan married Phyllis Milgroom, who as Phyllis M. Ryan was also a civil rights activist.
Career
Ryan was initially interested in clinical psychology but then became interested in social and community psychology.
Ryan worked at the Yale School of Medicine and Harvard Medical School before arriving at Boston College, where he was Professor of Psychology from 1969 to 1998. In 1993 he received an award for his distinguished contribution to theory & research in community psychology from the Society for Community Research and Action: Division 27 of the American Psychological Association. Ryan died in a Boston hospital on June 7, 2002.
Publications
Articles
Chapters
(1969). "Distress in the city: A summary report of the Boston Mental Health Survey, 1960-1962". In Ryan, William (ed.). Distress in the city: Essays on the design and administration of urban mental health services. Cleveland, Ohio: The Press of Case Western Reserve University. (1969). "A New Mental Health Agenda". In Ryan, William (ed.). Distress in the city: Essays on the design and administration of urban mental health services. Cleveland, Ohio: The Press of Case Western Reserve University. (1971). "The social welfare client: Blaming the victim". In Kalz, Arthur J. (ed.). The social welfare forum Official Proceedings, 98th Annual Forum National Conference on Social Welfare Dallas, Texas, May 16-May 21. New York: Columbia University Press. (1973). "Emotional disorder as a social problem: Implications for mental health programs". In Denner, Bruce; Price, Richard H. (eds.). Community Mental Health Social Action and Inaction. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Books
References
Further reading
Pages 220 to 232 document in detail Ryan's response to the publication of the Moynihan Report.
A volume dedicated to Ryan by his colleagues.